Quick translation of this article.
On February 13th in Osaka, we interviewed Sou Kazuho, the Yukigumi top star who has announced she will retire from Takarazuka this August.
Sou, who announces her retirement just over one year since she was inaugurated as top in December of 2012, confessed that the moment she decided on her retirement was when she became top.
“When I was told I’d be reassigned to Yukigumi (to become top), I wanted to stake everything on the remaining three productions. I’ve reached the limits of my accomplishments, and with the significance of aiming high until the very end, wondering how long my physical endurance and emotional strength would last, I decided that would probably be the time when I would be spent,” Sou explained with a refreshed expression.
When we asked about her post-retirement plans, she said, “That question always comes up without fail, doesn’t it?” with an impish smile. “I’m not getting married, I haven’t decided what I’ll do after I leave, I’m sorry that’s such a conventional thing to say, but I want to take a little bit more time to think about that privately,” she responded with her Sou-like frankness that made everyone laugh.
When we asked her if she has any interest in becoming a normal actress after she leaves, she said, smiling, “Whatever they tell you here, afterwards everyone (among Takarazuka OG) in some form or another participates in activities, whether it’s involvement in the entertainment industry or some other field, and I think while some follow the paths they thought of for themselves, many also end up walking down a different path.”
“Instead, I want to hear offers. Whatever happens to me after this, I want to get excited,” she said with her chest held proud.
When she told her classmate Ranju Tomu, who has announced that she’s retiring in May of this year, she replied, “So soon?”
“My term as top may be short, but I’ve been in Takarazuka for 19 years. I’ve hit walls over and over again,” Sou said. As for how many times she’s thought of retiring, “I’ve been giving every production everything I’ve got in order to figure out when it would be ok to quit. If there have been times I’ve said I want to retire based on my mood, there were also times when I thought about it seriously. So the feeling steadily became stronger, although on the other hand if not for all that I wouldn’t be who I am today,” she said reminiscing.
As for the subject of retiring as the company is on its way to its 100th anniversary, Sou said, “Rather, because it’s the 100th anniversary, within that year, I think there is also a sense of passing the baton to the next generation.”